Leeds City Council has announced that five schemes in the city have been successful in securing government funding to help boost active and sustainable travel in the area.
Through the government’s £200 million Active Travel Fund Tranche 4, residents will benefit from better active travel options as well as improved road safety. As Active Travel England expects the funding pot as a whole to generate 16 million additional walking and cycling trips every year, Leeds’ five schemes will go over to public consultation as everyone who will benefit can support the design. Depending on the length and success of the public consultation, the schemes are expected to be delivered by March 2025.
The council’s Executive Member for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Cllr Helen Hayden, said:
“This funding is about making walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport more desirable, with many of the schemes providing links to existing cycling infrastructure, creating a wider cycling network and a better-connected Leeds. Investments like this help toward our Vision Zero Strategy of eliminating serious injury and deaths on Leeds roads by 2040 by creating safer walking and cycling links in key areas of the city and improving road safety for everyone.
“I want to increase the areas of Leeds that provide more options to how people can get around and I want residents to feel safe when walking and cycling on Leeds streets.”
A wide range of measures will be implemented through the schemes, with these being:
- A project to uplift and enhance Armley Town Street alongside the delivery of bus priority improvements.
- Active travel measures in Eastern Gateway (City Centre) to offer safer, segregated cycle tracks that will link existing tracks together, alongside improvements to pavements and pedestrian crossings.
- Traffic management improvements in Meanwood.
- Linking existing cycle infrastructure, whilst extending segregated cycle tracks in Holbeck.
- Creating a safer, segregated cycle track through the extension of existing infrastructure on Westgate, with this helping to offer a safer link to the city centre. Included in this are plans to improve pavements and pedestrian crossings.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, added:
“We want to make West Yorkshire a better-connected region with an easier-to-use and greener transport network. Cycling, walking and wheeling have a vital role to play, and it is fantastic that we have secured funding to improve facilities in Leeds and beyond.
“This additional investment will help us to boost connections, grow our economy and tackle the climate emergency as we aim to become a net zero carbon region by 2038.”
Image credit: iStock
